Trip Sheets

Exactly 40 years ago, Martin Scorsese's classic film "Taxi Driver" stormed through America's cinemas. Exactly 40 years ago, former NPR London correspondent Michael Goldfarb was a NYC taxi driver living on the same block where Scorsese had shot his film. In this series of talks, Goldfarb recalls those days.

New York City cab drivers have to maintain a record of their journeys called a "trip sheet." In this series Goldfarb goes through the trip sheets in his memory and recalls a city on fire and what it was like to be an aspiring artist in one of New York's greatest periods of creativity. All of life passes through the back seat of a New York cab and among those who Goldfarb took for a ride (and vice versa) are Philip Roth, Andy Warhol and Vladimir Horowitz. Philip Glass was a fellow driver. There are journeys down Fifth Avenue and into the heart of the burning Bronx.

This is history from below, a fascinating look at a legendary time. Hide full description

Exactly 40 years ago, Martin Scorsese's classic film "Taxi Driver" stormed through America's cinemas. Exactly 40 years ago, former NPR London correspondent Michael Goldfarb was a NYC taxi driver living on the same block where Scorsese had shot his film. In this series of talks, Goldfarb recalls those days. New York City cab drivers have to maintain a record of their journeys called a "trip sheet." In this series Goldfarb goes through the trip sheets in his memory and recalls a city on fire and what it was like to be an aspiring artist in one of New York's greatest periods of creativity. All of life passes through the back seat of a New York cab and among those who Goldfarb took for a ride (and vice versa) are Philip Roth, Andy Warhol and Vladimir Horowitz. Philip Glass was a fellow... Show full description